R.I.P John Witherspoon, ‘Friday’ & ‘Boondocks’ Actor Dead At 77

The legendary Friday actor died at the age of 77. Most of us knew John Witherspoon as the face of the Friday franchise and the voice of Grandad in The Boondocks animated series, but he was much more than that in the culture. The famed actor/comedian has been making us laugh for decades through his many appearances in comedies and hit movies over the years. His resume is quite impressive with roles in films like The Meteor Man, Boomerang, Hollywood Shuffle, Vampire in Brooklyn, and of course, the Friday franchise.

Details of Witherspoon’s death are still sketchy, but his family has released a statement to Deadline confirming that he died suddenly at his home on Wednesday (October 29).

“It is with deepest sorrow that we can confirm our beloved husband and father, John Witherspoon, one of the hardest working men in show business, died today at his home in Sherman Oaks at the age of 77,” his family said. “He is survived by his wife Angela, and his sons JD, Alexander, and a large family. We are all in shock, please give us a minute for a moment in privacy and we will celebrate his life and his work together. John used to say ‘I’m no big deal’, but he was huge deal to us.”

John Witherspoon was born in 1942 in Detroit and started acting and making people laugh in the 1970s. It wasn’t until in 1980 that he got his big break in the hit movie, The Jazz Singer. For most of us, perhaps his biggest role was in the film Friday, where he starred alongside Chris Tucker and Ice Cube. There were reports that he was expected to reprise his iconic role in the final installment of the Franchise, Last Friday.

John Witherspoon will be sadly missed, and we all send condolences to his family. The culture lost an iconic. Rest In Paradise, John.